It’s not enough that a name be catchy, marketable and resonate with customers. It must also be available.Trademark disputes are a concern for start-ups today because of the proliferation of registered marks in recent years. Currently, there are some 1.3 million active trademarks registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, up from just over one million in 2001. That jump is partly due to the surge in online businesses.
“Pretty much any real word is taken by somebody,” says Christopher Nikides, general counsel for Brand Institute Inc., a Miami name-development firm. Businesses sometimes resort to made-up words or replace a few letters in a common word to avoid problems, he says.
Many firms constantly screen for other businesses infringing on their names. So be sure to pick one that’s not registered by another product, service or company in your industry — in your case, another jewelry business.
Photo by Monster.
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